Project Hubs / Find out how Forum for the Future is working towards a sustainable future. If you’re interested in creating a digital community page for your project, please contact us at futurescentre@forumforthefuture.org

Study finds male sperm count has halved since 1973

Signal of change / Study finds male sperm count has halved since 1973

A study published in July 2017 from Hebrew University and Mount Sinai medical school has found that sperm counts in men from the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand have fallen by more than 50% from 1973-2011. The paper was a meta-analysis by a team of epidemiologists, clinicians, and researchers that culled data from 185 studies, which examined semen from almost 43,000 men. The study found that both the sperm count per millimetre and total sperm count has been declining with no evidence of this trend levelling off.

So what?

The study found that the declining sperm count was correlated with a drop in testosterone levels and strongly implies that the uptake of commercially available chemicals found in the species bloodstream could be responsible for the decline. If trends continue, it is said this could have long-term implications for the survival of the species.

Is this a silent crisis affecting men? If commercial chemicals are having such an impact on fertility, what forms of regulation are needed to better protect human health?